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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · content · ruler · mark · field · shower · rush · cell

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. content — happy
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. field — for sport
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cell — in biology
  13. content — the amount
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wake — a trail
  18. field — farmland
  19. shower — rain
  20. rush — hurry
  21. field — a subject
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com